[?]ch Could Tap

[?] Wealth [?]w Untouched

H Australia and New Caledonia 'ould get a much-needed “shot arm” if a proposal that French rial organisations build a big

teelworks alongside the splendid

ndeveloped deep-water harbour )rt Stephens, north of New- NSW, is adopted. tralia’s nresent steelmakinff ;ry, though highly efficient 8 t with its present output r the country’s hunger for with the result that she has port annually steel products £A44 million. reserves of iron ore great as are, are limited and here >re New Caledonia could come he French colony already sells re to Australia’s steelmasters, oken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd., is millions of tons untouched itentially rich mines lying idle.

Japanese showed great inin New Caledonia’s iron ore about 1935 and by 1939 had ed large concessions, which rere working extensively. Then World War 11.

What has happened since—or failed to happen —is graphically illustrated in a photograph in PlM's July issue. It depicts Dr. John Cumpston, Australian Consul in Noumea, inspecting the former Japanese iron mine at Goro during a recent trip to south-eastern New Caledonia.

With Mrs. Cumpston he is climb ing to the mine plateau. In the background is the loading canti lever, now in bad condition from disuse and neglect, stretching out its skeleton arms to wealth un touched.

Areas such as these, it is true, are being thoroughly prospected by the French Bureau Miniere but their future is still indefinite.

Apparently the proposal that French organisations consider es tablishing a big steel plant at Port Stephens—they already have built steelworks in other countries—is still in the exploratory stage.

What details are available so far were revealed by NSW Mines Minister, Roger Nott, in Sydney recently. He said he had dis cussed the proposal with the French Embassy’s Commercial Con sul (M. Miot) but was not at liberty to disclose the names of the French interests concerned.

Emphasising the suitability of Port Stephens, Mr. Nott pointed out that its deep-water harbour lay

close to substantial coal and lime stone deposits Though the works proposed would compete with the BHP steel undertakings at Newcastle and Port Kembla, the Minister said, he favoured the plan.

The plant would employ up to

8,000 people and need 30,000 tons of coal a week. That would absorb about 2,000 Australian mineworkers and help solve the surplus labour problem which mechanisation and a static demand for coal had created.

Americans Interested, Too

Mr. Nott reported later (Oct. 3) that American interests as well as French were interested in the pos sibilities of a Port Stephens steel industry. He said both were “nibbling”. It was estimated that it would cost £lOO million to set up the establishment. A canal 6 miles long, to link Port Stephens with Newcastle harbour, would be part of the set-up.